He was born around 1500, near
Sokolac in the Glasinac Plateau in the
Sanjak of Bosnia to the
Eastern Orthodox Christian Sokolović family, the younger brother of
Deli Husrev Pasha, who apparently helped him rise through the system's ranks more quickly. Mustafa Pasha briefly served as
kaymakam (acting governor) of
Egypt Eyalet in 1549. He had risen to the position of
Beylerbeyi of
Damascus and then to that of Fifth
Vizier. The honorific "
Lala" means "tutor to the Sultan"; he was tutor to Sultan
Suleiman the Magnificent's sons, including
Şehzade Bayezid. He also had a long-standing feud with his cousin,
Sokollu Mehmed Pasha. He commanded Ottoman land forces during the
Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573) and the conquest of
Venetian-held
Cyprus (1570–71), and the
Causasian campaign (1578). During the campaign on Cyprus, Lala Mustafa Pasha, who was known for his cruelty towards vanquished opponents, ordered the Venetian commander of
Famagusta,
Marco Antonio Bragadin, flayed alive and other Venetian military officers killed on sight or executed, even though he had promised safe passage upon surrendering the city to the Turkish army. It also meant that Mustafa had indicated his aggressive intentions to the Sultan's court. He was a
Damat ("bridegroom") to the
Imperial family through his marriage to
Hümaşah Sultan, the only daughter of
Şehzade Mehmed, son of
Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife
Hurrem Sultan. The two together had a son named Sultanzade Abdülbaki Bey. ") tomb in
Konya Following his succession of Semiz Ahmed Pasha as
Grand Vizier, in the final three months of his life, he occupied the post from 28 April 1580 until his death. He is buried in the courtyard of the
Eyüp Sultan Mosque in Istanbul. His tomb was designed by Ottoman architect
Mimar Sinan. ==Death==